Overview

• USS Devastator was decommissioned Sept. 25 at NSA Bahrain, formally concluding Avenger-class operations there after earlier retirements of USS Sentry, USS Dextrous and USS Gladiator.
• Four littoral combat ships will take over the Bahrain-based mission, with USS Canberra arriving May 22, USS Santa Barbara following, USS Tulsa now in theater and a fourth ship yet to be named.
• The new mine countermeasures package keeps the ship at distance by employing unmanned surface and undersea vehicles, towed sonars and MH-60S helicopters for detection and neutralization.
• A $7 million Defense Department contract tasks Sealift Inc. to transport the four decommissioned Avenger-class vessels to the U.S. East Coast between now and February.
• Task Force 55/Destroyer Squadron 50 retains responsibility for mine warfare in the U.S. Central Command maritime region, as sailors from Devastator shift to new sea and shore assignments.